


Something Sour, Something Sweet

by Miles_to_Hastings



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Chance Meetings, Goro likes sweet things, Happy Birthday Goro, M/M, Pre-Slash, Ren is sweet, Short & Sweet, set in the anime timeline (possibly)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 10:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14830568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miles_to_Hastings/pseuds/Miles_to_Hastings
Summary: It's been a bad day. His birthdays always are. Craving something sugary to pick himself up Goro ends up finding something better.





	Something Sour, Something Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> Down or not, there was no way I wasn't going to get something written for best boy's birthday. Even if it is just a quick little fic.

It's been a bad day. A fact that's entirely unsurprising, of course, considering what day it actually is. As soon as Goro had seen the date - phone helpfully pointing it out as soon as he’d looked at it this morning - his mood had soured. As much as he would've preferred to shut himself up in his small apartment and locked the rest of the world out until tomorrow, though, he couldn’t afford to do that. He has a job to do, after all. One that will be worth gritting his teeth and bearing this unwelcome day for in the end.

Still, Goro takes the opportunity to slip away as soon as he possibly can, glad that nobody tries to rope him into helping out with extra paperwork and keeping him late. Sae doesn't stop by to ask for his opinion either. While he does appreciate not having to play the sidekick for her today it's still a shame that he didn’t get the opportunity to bargain some sushi out of her.

The thought of sushi has the unfortunate consequence of reminding his stomach that he’s barely eaten all day, though. And once he remembers that he’s hungry it’s actually a little painful, empty stomach demanding that he eat something and eat it _now_. Goro knew he’d regret skipping lunch. While he doesn’t like the thought of delaying, especially not in Shibuya during the after-school rush, his hunger pangs refuse to be ignored.

So that means a slight detour is in order. Keeping his head down, slipping off the train as discreetly as possible, Goro heads for a little bakery near the Ginza gates that he’s rather fond of. It’s fast, relatively out of the way, and after a day like this, he’s craving something sugary and sweet. It's not as if he's going to find any other sort of sweetness, after all.

Naturally, as he approaches the bakery he notices that there's already a queue. It’s normal for this time of day, of course, considering how busy the station is but that doesn’t make it less of an annoyance. Still, Goro's made his decision and he’s here now so he can put up with a bit of a wait. After all, there's no school girls in the line, only salarymen and...

_That boy_.

The boy from the train. The barista from that back alley coffee shop that Sae had introduced him to. The one who’s always seemed oddly familiar to him. Amamiya, wasn’t it?

Luckily he's stood at the back of the queue so Goro doesn't think much about stepping closer to address him. "Hello again."

Being spoken to seems to take the boy by surprise, flinching just slightly before he turns to give him a cryptic sort of smile. "Hello."

He thinks he'd like to see Amamiya smile properly. It'd look good on him, no doubt, but Goro tries to ignore the thought. It's not as if he has time to be indulging in a silly crush, no matter how strong it may be.

Still, they're both here, stuck waiting in line, so why not have a bit of small talk? Call it a birthday present to himself. "I do hope this isn't your idea of dinner."

Amamiya rubs the back of his neck in a way that suggests the light-hearted remark hit closer to the truth than intended. Or maybe Goro's presence is simply making him uncomfortable. It's not as if he'd really said all that much when they'd met in Leblanc, after all.

"I'm just picking something up for a friend." Evasive, the boy pushes up his glasses, clearly not keen on being questioned. "What about you? Treating yourself?"

Honestly, he hadn't really expected to be asked anything in return. It's not as if there's any obligation for the other boy to be polite right now, the line having already advanced quite rapidly.

"Oh, I've been working all day so I had a bit of a sugar craving. This place is right on my way so it’s quite convenient for that sort of thing." Goro has to make a conscious effort to resist spilling the rest of the truth. Something about this boy makes him want to talk, to be more open and admit things that he wouldn't to anyone else. This crush of his really could be a dangerous thing.

The way Amamiya tilts his head just slightly to one side suggests that he's not quite satisfied with that answer. "You shouldn't work too hard, detective."

Caught off guard by the sort of concern he hears in those words, Goro instinctively slips back behind his usual public mask with a bright smile. "On the contrary, working hard is part of a detective's job."

While Amamiya opens his mouth to say something more he’s cut off by the cashier calling him forward. Although he’s always liked this place for its fast service Goro rather wishes that just this once they wouldn’t have rushed through the queue quite so much. It’s only been a brief conversation but already the idea of going back to his apartment alone seems all the less appealing.

An absence is only made more apparent when it's brought into comparison to an alternative, after all.

Rather than listening in to Amamiya's order - even if he _is_ a little curious as to the other boy's tastes - Goro pulls out his phone. No messages. No missed calls. He's not sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

"Here you go."

Pulled abruptly out of his thoughts, Goro looks up only to find that the other boy is offering him a paper bag, apparently waiting for him to take it. Instead, he stares, uncomprehending. "For... me?"

Amamiya smiles, for real this time. Even though it's little more than a quirking up of his lips it's gorgeous and this crush is already threatening to turn into something altogether more serious. "Happy birthday."

There is absolutely no reason for the boy to know that. Goro is absolutely positive that he hadn’t slipped any sort of clues about the date into that short conversation. He hasn’t even said the word out loud at all today. And yet there’s no mistaking what he just heard, or the fact that there’s a paper bag - something Amamiya just bought - being held out to him.

Blinking, as if that will help him make sense of this strange turn of events, Goro struggles to find the right words. "I... how did you-?"

"That would be telling, wouldn't it?" Pointedly dodging the question, Amamiya has the sheer audacity to _smirk_.

How could he possibly have known that today was Goro’s birthday? It’s not something he has listed on any of his social media accounts, an omission he made quite purposefully. Of course, the information is still out there somewhere; since his detective prince reputation picked up the date of his birth suddenly became interesting to people. Usually, though, it’s only fangirls who care to do that sort of digging.

Perhaps this means that Amamiya isn’t as disinterested as he might have thought.

"Well... I... Um... Thank you." Still rather thrown by this whole thing, Goro cautiously accepts the bag, his _gift_. Somehow this day doesn’t seem quite so bad anymore.

"You're welcome." It’s clear he doesn’t have any idea quite how much this simple gesture means, brushing the thanks off like it’s the most natural thing in the world. "You know, if you want some coffee to go with that I know a really good place…"

Rather than giving him a chance to answer Amamiya steps aside, the cashier obviously impatient with him for holding up the line. The almost non-existent line that consists of just Goro at this point. He still lingers, though, stopping just to the side of the shopfront and nonchalantly pulling out his phone.

It leaves Goro feeling as flustered as ever, not sure whether that was a genuine invitation or just a joke. Certainly, Amamiya had _sounded_ serious but why would he want Goro to go back to Leblanc with him? This whole thing is confusing, although he finds that he doesn’t consider that to be an entirely a bad thing.

While it might be a little rude, he can’t resist taking a peek into the bag that the other boy had given him, his apparent birthday present. Dorayaki; one of his favourites. An awfully good lucky guess on Amamiya’s part. Or perhaps he had simply inferred Goro’s preferences from looking at his food blog... 

Telling himself that doesn’t stop the warmth spreading through him, though, or stop him smiling with genuine pleasure. It’s enough to make up Goro’s mind for him as he abandons the line in favour of joining the other boy. Some of that excellent coffee _does_ sound good, after all, and spending longer in Amamiya's company sounds even better. Maybe it's foolish but it's his birthday, so today of all days he can let himself be foolish. If only for a little while.


End file.
